


Consequences

by CrimsonNi



Series: The Major and the Phoenix [2]
Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: BAMF Bella Swan, Bella Swan with a Backbone, Best Friends, Best friend advice, Book: New Moon, Controlling Edward Cullen, Couple Fight, F/M, Human Bella Swan, Jasper Hale & Bella Swan Friendship, No New Moon, Out of Character Bella Swan, Pre-New Moon, Resolved Argument Prompt Exchange, Self-Esteem Issues, Southern charm, Twilight References, Twilight Series Rewrite, Ultimatums, low confidence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:34:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25412464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrimsonNi/pseuds/CrimsonNi
Summary: Since the Cullen Family decided to stay, it should mean that life resumes to normal, right? But Bella is beginning to realize that there's more going on behind the scenes and Edward, worried to lose Bella again, is making sure he can do whatever possible to keep her safe...
Relationships: Alice Cullen/Jasper Hale, Edward Cullen/Bella Swan
Series: The Major and the Phoenix [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1829746
Comments: 8
Kudos: 96





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Twilight and all characters, merch, etc. do not belong to me but to Stephanie Meyers.   
> I'm beginning to realize that I am a very wordy/dialogue-y writer (whoops) but hopefully you like anyway. Drop some likes and feedback!

When Jacon began ignoring her calls and letters, Bella made a choice to nip it in the bud and go to La Push to see him in person, ask him face to face what the problem was. What she forgot, was that the Cullen family, two members in particular, were very wary of Jacob and the Quiellette Tribe. Somehow, someway, Edward managed to convince Alice that it’d be a bright idea to tattle-tell on her whenever her future dictated that she was about to head towards La Push. 

The line was crossed when Edward, who planned a hunting trip with the other men of the family, actually asked the women—well only Esme and Alice for obvious reasons—to kidnap her for a sleepover and keep an eye out to prevent her from going to see Jacob! Boiling rage didn’t even  _ begin _ to cover what she was feeling towards Edward. What was even worse was Alice agreeing to his madness.

“Bella, please understand the boys from the Quiellette tribe are unpredictable.”

“They’re my friends, as I thought you were,” Bella snapped. 

Looking hurt, Alice kept her hands, that were usually touching some part of Bella, to herself. “I am,” her voice wobbled sadly. “But—”

“Have you had a vision? Am I in trouble?

Bella interpreted Alice’s hesitation that she  _ had _ seen something bad but Alice quickly quelled that worry. “No, I haven’t.”

No longer wanting to argue with Alice, Bella sighed and followed it with a small smile. Gently, she reached for Alice’s hands and patted them similarly to that of Esme. “Alice, you’re definitely the best sister anyone could ask for, but Edward is going to have to learn to fight his own battles.”

“Just...don’t be too hard on him.”

Bella couldn’t make any guarantees.


	2. Game of Chess

Before heading to bed, Bella phoned Edward and left a voicemail that was sure to convey exactly what he would come home to. That said, she tried staying up late to spring on him the moment he walked through the door but Alice wore her out and being the only human in the household, she eventually succumbed to sleep. The bed was luxurious, though, so perhaps it was best to let the anger rest with her so she could have the energy by morning. That was until she felt the cool feel of his fingers skating up and down her arm; he was spooning her although kept his form from draping over her. Maybe she could still wait until morning since she _did_ enjoy the feel of him touching her but the hand stilled, which told her that he knew she was awake.

Her element of surprise was taken from her, so she would have to switch gears and take it from him. Before he could say anything, Bella unraveled herself and made her hands dance on his form, until they latched onto the collar of his shirt. Propelling herself, she easily found his lips and memorized every inch of his. As usual, Edward felt and tasted amazing; she nearly lost herself and her original goal, but no matter what, it remained ringing in the back of her mind. With that, she pulled herself away and attempted to recollect herself.

“W-Wow, should I upset you more often?”

“Up to you, if you’re fine with the consequences.”

“That...wasn’t the consequence?”

“Ha! For a century old vampire, you can be very adorable. No Edward, that wasn’t the fine you were meant to pay. I figured, since vampires have such perfect recall, it’d be courteous of me to remind you how lovely kisses can be.”

His perfect face contorted into confusion but she could see him trying to figure her out. Bella had to hold herself back from laughing at him as she knew that he was so reliant on reading minds, that moments like these were probably beyond frustrating for him. “Then what is the consequence?” He whispered huskily.

Ah, she knew his game now. When he couldn’t figure her out, he tended to lean towards his ‘dazzling’ abilities. Not that they didn’t work, but she was used to Edward’s game play and for every strategy he had, she was confident that she had a counter.

She smugly smiled as she pulled herself away, off the bed. “Glad you asked. How should I punish my boyfriend who managed to go behind my back and have me blocked from seeing my friend?”

He winced. “Bella—”

“Let me ask a personal question: is this a race thing?”

The question was abrupt enough to physically startle Edward off the bed. He kept his distance, but he was rigid. “What?! How could you ask that?”

“It’s a reasonable question to ask, although it’s not my only one. The Quiellette tribe is an old native tribe that has a history of defending their land against colonizers. Of course I wouldn’t think you guys are racist but I just wanted to make sure. So if it’s not racism, it _is_ something else?”

If it were possible, Edward’s posture froze further, resembling that of a statue. He wasn’t breathing and his eyes, although seeming as if they were looking at her, were actually looking behind her. Bella wondered if he were having silent conversations with the other members of the household. “I...I can’t say.”

Slow, simmering anger began crawling under her skin. She was sure it caused her exposed skin to flush. “Can’t or won’t?”

Edward remained quiet although concerned. 

“Fine, if you _won’t_ say, I’ll just have to assume and I’m assuming that this has nothing to do with me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Forgive my crudeness, but _I_ think this is more of a pissing contest than you actually worried about my safety.”

Within a millisecond, Edward appeared in front of her, cradling her face in his hands. Although his touch was gentle, she could feel the slight tremble, as if he had to use every ounce of willpower to hold himself from crushing her. “No,” he gasped. “No, no you are my everything. My top priority.”

Despite his words, Bella just couldn’t buy them. She increased the distance between them again. “I _do_ believe you’re worried for me, but it’s more than that, and whatever it is, I’m tired of it being the reason that you’re acting like this.”

“Please, Bella, it _is_ for your safety.”

“It’s Jacob! You don’t even know him yet you’re acting like he’s a serial killer!”

“It’s—He’s dangerous.”

Bella’s quiet anger began transforming into a boiling rage. “What _is it_ with you men?! Jacob thinks you’re secretly boiling a pot of hot water to cook me in while you keep hinting at something like he’s ready to torture me in some dungeon! Do you know what the both of you look like right now? Controlling, egotistical, spoiled, bratty _boys_!”

With that, Bella stormed out of the bedroom, not caring what she must have looked like or that the rest of the household residents were around to witness this circus show. She reached halfway down the stairs before Edward zoomed past her to halt her at the end of the stairway. His expressions screamed desperation. His mouth began forming words, probably to try and explain, to stop her, but her anger was like a rock down a hill with nothing able to stop it.

She held her hand up to stop him. It also gave her a chance to glance to her right and notice Alice and Jasper, sitting on the couch, desperately trying to ignore the scene before them. “Your consequence,” she began while looking at the couch. “Will be you being banned from sleeping in the same room as me. This will include you watching, hovering; doing whatever it is you do to watch me sleep. For two weeks. And to keep you from finding any loops holes,” she sniped. “Alice, in exchange for your allegiance, we can shop, do makeovers, do _whatever_ you want for two weeks.”

Alice, despite her meager attempt to hold back, lit up like a Christmas tree with glee. A squeal that matched the level of a little birthday girl echoed around the house. It was short lived, however, after Edward sent a glare her way. She petered out and made her way back to Jasper. 

“Bella, can we please speak in private and talk about this?”

Bella denied him the opportunity with a shake of her head. “You aren’t to try and blackmail Alice into telling you anything about my future. If I decide to see Jacob, then that’s what I’ll be doing. And one last thing, my truck isn’t to be sabotaged by _anyone_. If she is, your consequences will be a lot worse.”

She made an attempt to pass by Edward and leave but he halted her again. “Where are you going?”

“Home,” she snapped, just waiting for him to say something controlling.

“Bella, it’s 4 in the morning,” Alice chimed in, still savoring the good news.

 _Oh_. She hadn’t realized it was that late. It was fair that driving herself home at this time would alert Charlie but also be a bit of a risk to drive at night, considering how angry she was feeling. “Right...then can I use your room?”

Edward sighed. “Bella, if you want space, you can continue using my room and I’ll stay out.”

She said nothing as she turned around and made her way back up the stairs. It would have been justified, she felt, for her to ignore Edward and make her way towards Alice’s and Jasper’s room, but the other, more rational part of her determined that had she done so, it would have been petty and vindictive. Her argument overall was valid and she made her point; no need to hark on it anymore, especially since he promised he would stay out until morning. With that in mind, she returned to Edward’s room, locking it in place behind her, and fell right to sleep.


	3. Clever Tactician

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jasper is the friend (and boyfriend) we all need. Minus the Confederate stuff, I'm very much in love with a supportive Jasper <3

Waking up in the middle of the night and going to bed angry with a significant other was sure to make anyone groggy. Bella’s body felt as if she tumbled and tossed her way down a hill and into a leaf pile full of prickly branches. She hadn’t known the time but her internal clock made her think it was slightly passed noon, if the bright sunshine outside was any indication. Begrudgingly, she made her way to the bathroom to freshen up, her eyes still barely open, but enough to see a sparkling figure sitting on the bed when she came out.

Even in the brightness, her heart gave a stutter of fear as she instantly knew it wasn’t Edward sitting on the bed. However, her eyes quickly absorbed the blonde curls and scarred face and confirmed it was Jasper. The stupid question of  _ ‘How did you get in?’ _ almost came out but Bella realized that was a stupid question to ask so she hadn’t bothered. She settled for a raised eyebrow though.

“Good afternoon,” he drawled slow and gentle. 

Even though Bella loved Edward’s smooth intonations, there was something to be said about a southern accent, particularly a Texan one, that tickled Bella’s more girlish tendencies. It was cute and very lightly flirtatious. 

“What time is it?” Bella garbled, flushing with embarrassment with how demonic she sounded versus the vampire.

“12:40 but that’s to be expected. You returned to bed rather late.”

“Are you checking up on me?”

“Not by Edward’s request, if that’s what you’re really asking. But yes, I wanted to see how you were feeling.”

There was no true rhyme or reason but Bella was feeling a little blip of irritation flare at random spots of her body. “You couldn’t have already sensed what I’m feeling?” She hadn’t meant to snipe at him, or at anyone really, but there was this cloud over her head that wouldn’t go away and momentarily, it felt as if transferring it to someone else was the only way to feel better.

“I do,” he said slowly. “Except what I sense doesn’t always match how the brain really works. Believe or not, even to me, you are an enigma and I’ve found that some of the feelings you project don’t match how you think about them.”

That took Bella aback a little. She never suspected that Jasper was someone to be stumped, particularly by someone as simple-minded as herself. “I’m not sure what you mean; if I’m feeling it, I’m thinking it, aren’t I?”

Jasper smirked as he slowly crossed his arms. “That so? Last night I felt a trickle of envy even though you were calling out Edward on his alleged machismo match against Jacob Black. Yet I doubt you were thinking you were actually jealous.”

She blushed a violent red hue all throughout her body, embarrassed and ashamed that she had been caught. He was right; it was a tiny thought that popped up in the back of her mind that tried to voice doubt about Edward and his real reasoning for being controlling. She questioned if her anger was actually her feeling jealous but she squashed it before it could form anymore legs to walk on. “That’s a good point. Does that happen often?”

“Does what happen often?”

“You questioning if what you’re feeling is real.”

The smirk from before reshaped itself into a smaller, more mellow version. “That is quite the philosophical question. In easy terms, yes, I question the emotions of others all the time, but more frustratingly so with you.”

Her blush receded some but still danced hotly on her cheeks. “Me? Do I...sorry—”

“I don’t mean that  _ you _ frustrate me, Bella. That’s more Edward’s forte than mine. I simply mean that you are an interesting subject of study and I value the challenge. For a long time, I’ve depended on my ability to solve many of my problems so to encounter someone who throws me for a loop, well, as we say in the South,  _ thank you, ma’am _ .”

That garnered a laugh and an “unlady” like snort that sparked a soft chuckle from him. “What about Alice? Does she throw you for a loop?”

A smile beamed from him and if Bella were an empath, she was sure she would have drowned from the sensation. “She’s a rollercoaster.”

A peaceful quiet fell upon the room that neither party felt that they needed to interrupt. Still, Bella knew she would eventually have to exit and face Edward and based on last night, face her end of the deal and let Alice have her way with her…

“I’m sorry for last night; I didn’t mean to drag you two into my argument. I’m not even sure what possessed me to think that was okay in any way.”

Bella expected Jasper to reprimand her in some way, if not scold or gripe that she was immature for last night; instead, he laughed. It was quiet and soft, but a laugh nonetheless. “I agree it’s not something that should be commonly repeated, but I’m not upset and I assure you Alice is  _ definitely _ not upset. If anything, last night revealed something quite interesting.”

“That I can actually not trip down a flight of stairs despite just waking up and being disoriented?” She dead-panned.

Another bout of laughter erupted from Jasper, revealing a gleam of teeth. “That too, but I meant more along the lines of you being a rather clever tactician.”

“What?”

“Disoriented? In a matter of minutes after waking up—which was disrupted from you feeling Edward’s presence nearby—you lured him into a false of security by distracting him with a disarming action. You followed it up by attempting to ascertain what the essential issue is via interrogation and as opposed to continuing to press for more information against his will, you changed tactics by presenting him with the reality of what his actions resulted in. You remembered that he could use myself, Alice, and/or Rosalie to his advantage and blocked him for doing so to establish your new boundaries. And to sum it all up, you could have had the final word by sleeping in different quarters but you took his word into consideration; the fact that you levied your trust in him above your feelings speaks to your reasonability. You were not trying to have the final say, but make sure you were heard correctly.”

Bella had difficulty in understanding his arguing point. She couldn’t—didn’t—believe him! He spoke as if some confident, mature, badass woman emerged last night to set the record straight when in actuality, she felt foolish. Snapping at Edward when all he worried about was keeping her safe from harm’s way, which was fair since she was notorious in being its target, involving Jasper and Alice—

“Bella, relax; I meant every word I’ve said, but I did not say them to overwhelm you.”

Running her fingers through her hair, she released a long sigh of exasperation. “Jasper, you have me confused with someone else or you’re reading too much into last night.”

He shrugged. “I myself struggle greatly with self-confidence so I have no doubt you will need some time before you believe me. If it helps, Edward doesn’t disagree or the rest of the family for that matter.”

Yet Bella continued to feel hesitant in believing him. They were vampires, superior beings as indicated by the food chain, so how could he argue that she trumped that, even by a small margin? In the regular human realm, Bella didn’t measure up against many people, maybe some that didn’t favor reading updated information, but overall, she was pretty standard. So again, where was Jasper getting the idea that she was clever enough to outwit Edward, a hundred year old vampire?

She was brought out of her reverie when she noticed his hand extended out to her. “Baby steps. Until then, it would be a good idea to head on downstairs and have a talk with Edward; he’s growing anxious the longer we remain up here.”

The hand, the very same hand she clenched not too long ago in apology to repair what occurred at her 18th birthday party, was now extended out to her in patience. Although she held that hand tightly, it was now that she noticed the size and texture; large and scarred, similarly to the rest of his person. She knew that those hands could destroy her being without effort, like Edward whenever he held her, yet they looked impeccably soft. No debate was waged in taking that hand into hers and accepting its safety. In return, Jasper gave her a wave of warmth and a smile, a measure to assure her that everything would be fine and he’d be there to support her. Together, they stepped down to join Edward, who looked ready to rip apart the living area and piano to speak with her.


End file.
